MOTW: Human Behavior
This article specifically looked at the short and longterm behavioral outcomes of traumatic brain injury in children. As we know, children have rampant synaptic plasticity, so much so, that their ability to heal and recover from neurological injuries is much higher than that of adults. 53 children with TBI (traumatic brain injuries) and 80 children with orthopaedic injuries resulting in neurologic insult were analyzed in the study. Measures of preinjury and postinjury achievement skills were administered shortly after injury. These assessments were repeated three times across a mean follow up interval of 4 years. Recovery of mathematic skills was observed in the TBI patients, but only in those with families deemed less stressful. The assessments suggest that long-term behavioral outcomes and social disadvantages were more a result of the familial situations as opposed to the injuries themselves.
Citation:
Taylor, H.G., Yeates, K.O., Wade, S.L., Drotar, D., Stancin, T., and Minich, N. 2002. A prospective study of short- and long-term outcomes after traumatic brain injury in children: Behavior and achievement. Neuropsychology 16: 15-27.
MOTW: Human Imaging
Considering the substantial amount of radiation released from imaging scans, such as CT scans, it’s important to study and address the dangers they pose. This article analyzes data that summarizes whether or not CT scans pose a risk for cancer. The study claims that CT scans are incredibly likely to be a large risk for cancer due to the severe amount of radiation they release. More epidemiologic studies are required to definitively say so, yet ignoring the released radiation would be foolish. This is the reason that medical staff often wear vests lined with lead to prevent the radiation from affecting any of their external and internal structures. The study claimed there was a higher risk for the development of cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and CNS cancer if scans are given in childhood or adolescence. The risks of each of these for the children in the study were 1.6%, 1.7% and 0.5% respectively. It was also found that children with higher risk for leukemia and lymphoma were younger at the time of scans, 2.9 years on average. 106 of the children from the study, during the overall study period, were diagnosed with a primary tumor, 27 of which were CNS, 25 of which were leukemia, and 21 of which were lymphoma.
Citation:
Journey, N., Rehel, J-L., Ducou Le Pointe, H., Lee, C., Brisse, H., Chateil, J-F., Caer-Lorho, S., Laurier, D., and Bernier, M-O. 2015. Are the studies on cancer risk from CT scans biased by indication? Elements of answer from a large-scale cohort study in France. British Journal of Cancer 112: 185-193.
MOTW: Neuroanatomy
Humans are very complex organisms that have changed and evolved over millions of years to reach the present. As such, it is to be expected that there have been significant changes in our neuroanatomy from the start of our lineage to the present. This study talks about the last common ancestor shared by humans, which are chimpanzees and bonobos. In Macaque monkeys and humans, our brains contain ventral premotor and inferior parietal cortex neurons that fire when an individual either performs or observes different goal-directed actions. This has been dubbed a ‘mirror-neuron’ system, as it is believed humans use these neurons to imitate other individual’s actions, both to learn and to simulate the intentions of others. Primates have also over time(as they become more and more derived) developed larger brains with respect to the size of their bodies. Along with these larger brains, they have developed more gyral folding suggesting an increase in associational connectivity between neighboring cortical regions.
Citation:
Sherwood, C.C., Subiaul, F., and Zawidzki, T.W. 2008. A natural history of the human mind: tracing evolutionary changes in brain and cognition. Journal of Anatomy 212: 426-454.